Press release

Deadline approaching for the 2012 TPO network award entries

by ITC Communications

The International Trade Centre (ITC) today urged national trade promotion organizations (TPOs) around the world not to miss the rapidly approaching deadline for participation in the 2012 TPO Network Awards competition.

Winners of this year’s competition will be recognized for their trade promotion processes. Applicants will be required to demonstrate excellence in an export development initiative and to elaborate on how they identified the need for the service, the process of developing it, measuring it and reporting the results. The deadline for submitting entries is 15 June.

The awards are open to all trade support institutions that are officially recognized in their countries as the national organization for trade promotion. TPOs taking part apply in one of the relevant four country groupings: least developed countries, developing countries, small island developing states and developed countries.

‘TPOs provide crucial support to SMEs in building their capacities to become sustainable and internationally competitive businesses’ said ITC Executive Director Patricia R. Francis. ‘The organizations are increasingly required to demonstrate value for money, which means they must measure, record and report the outcomes and impact of their services. The awards entry process is designed to help them do so.”

The award winners will share their innovative approaches with their colleagues at the next TPO Network World Conference and will be publicly recognized by ITC through a series of follow up interviews and articles.

For more information about the application process and previous award winners please visit www.tponetwork.net/